Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋节 Zhong Qiu Jie= Mid-Autumn Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival which is one of the most important festivities in China, According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact middle of autumn, so it's called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion or Moon Festival.

Past:
The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon, and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon.

Present:
In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people.

All family members try to get together on this special day. Those who can not return home gaze at the bright moonlight and long for their loved ones. After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special performances in parks or on public squares. Night falls, and the land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and eating moon cakes and fruit.

Moon Cakes:
People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. But one traditional custom has definitely remained and is shared by all the Chinese. This is eating the festive specialty: cakes shaped like the moon.

Moon cakes are round pastries that are about an inch in height. Inside, they are filled with lotus seeds, red bean paste, orange peel, melon seeds, ham, dried flower petals, salted duck's egg yolk, fruit, nuts and many other varieties. My favorite is the ham moon cake. I think it tastes similar to a good southern country ham biscuit. The surface of the moon cake is often patterned with clouds, the moon, or a rabbit.

It symbolizes the reunions of families and couples. The exchanging of gifts during the mid autumn festival is one of the hospitable customs and couples often give moon cakes as presents to show their love.

Zhōng qiū jié kuàilè!- Happy mid autumn festival!




info from www.chinaculture.org